U.S. Forest Service · Eldorado National Forest · California

Hell Hole Campground

Location: 22 miles east of Georgetown on Wentworth Springs Road, and 29 miles northeast on Forest Highway 2 (Eleven Pines road) to just before Hell Hole Reservoir. Hell Hole Campground Recreation Opportunity Guide (ROG) - This guide contains information, maps, and directions to assist you in enjoying your trip to the Eldorado National Forest.

Closed for the seasonFirst-come, first-served

More like this: first-come in California

1fire
active
Tmu Rx Support (prescribed burn) · 26 mi away
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16
Incident details ↓

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
SeasonJune to October
ForestEldorado National Forest
BookingNo Reservations.
Fees$10/ single site. There is no water available at the campground. Please bring your own drinking water or a water filter.
RulesDo not feed the animals. Trailers are not recommended due to limited parking space. Please keep family pets on a leash at all times. Please use the stove or fire ring provided and make sure your fire is dead out before leaving. Use only water, not soil. Check ahead. Campfires may not be allowed during fire restrictions. Use Check out time is 1:00 p.m. CAUTION: There are bears in the area.

Eldorado National Forest recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Hell Hole Campground20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 6.37 inches of precipitationFebruary: 6.90 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.52 inches of precipitationApril: 2.78 inches of precipitationMay: 2.02 inches of precipitationJune: 0.84 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.49 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.35 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.60 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.99 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.40 inches of precipitationDecember: 6.47 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 29.7°F averageFebruary: 29.8°F averageMarch: 33.8°F averageApril: 38.0°F averageMay: 45.7°F averageJune: 54.5°F averageJuly: 61.5°F averageAugust: 61.0°F averageSeptember: 55.4°F averageOctober: 45.7°F averageNovember: 35.8°F averageDecember: 29.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Tahoma, 15 miles from the campground at 6,315 feet, station USC00048760 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 38 inches a year.

Getting there

Coordinates39.0705° N, 120.4166° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Tmu Rx Support

    26 mi from the campground

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗14.7 mi
Outdoor gearAlpenglow Sports ↗16.2 mi
RV sales & serviceCustom Truck Accessories ↗35 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Limited data for this unit

No site-by-site records, no amenities, no fee schedule, no directions or photos in the Recreation.gov record. What is here comes from the agency's own listing. The rest lives there.

Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the record fills in.

Explore

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 0.2 mi
    Hellhole 4WD Trail
    3.8 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, ATV and 1 more
  • 0.7 mi
    Hellhole ↗
    7.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 0.9 mi
    Hunters ↗
    9.6 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 2.7 mi
    Campground Water Supply
    0.07 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 1 more
  • 2.9 mi
    Middle Meadow
    2.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 3.5 mi
    Steamboat
    0.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Tahoe National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for California

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Hell Hole Campground?

No. Hell Hole Campground is first-come, first-served. No Reservations. Sites are taken on arrival and paid at the fee station.

Source: Forest Service

How much does it cost to camp at Hell Hole Campground?

$10/ single site. There is no water available at the campground. Please bring your own drinking water or a water filter.

Source: Forest Service

Is Hell Hole Campground open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 16, 2026. Season June to October.

Source: Forest Service status

What if Hell Hole Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Big Meadows Campground (0.6 mi, first-come), Middle Meadows (3 mi), and French Meadows (3 mi, partly first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby